Abstract: T RAFFIC C ONGESTION G REENHOUSE G A SES AND B Y M AT T H E W B A R T H A N D K A N O K B O R I B O O N S O M S I N S URFACE TRANSPOR TATION IN THE LARGE U NITED S TATES IS A source of greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore a large contributor to global climate change. Roughly a third of America’s carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions come from moving people or goods, and 80 percent of these emissions are from cars and trucks. To reduce CO 2 emissions from the transportation sector, policy makers are primarily pushing for more efficient vehicles, alternative fuels, and reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Those who promote vehicle improvements have focused on building lighter and smaller vehicles (while main- taining safety), improving powertrain efficiency, and intro- ducing alternative technologies such as hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. Alternative fuel possibilities include many low-carbon options such as biofuels and synthetic fuels. Policy makers have placed less attention on reducing CO 2 emissions by reducing traffic congestion. As traffic congestion increases, so too do fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions. Therefore, congestion mitigation programs should reduce CO 2 emissions. The key question is how big of an emissions reduction we can get by reducing congestion. This question is difficult to answer, because CO 2 emissions, and the fuel con- sumption that causes them, are ver y sensitive to several factors. These factors include individual driving behavior, Matthew Barth is Professor of Electrical Engineering and Director of the Center for Environmental Research and Technology at the University of California, Riverside ([email protected]) and Kanok Boriboonsomsin is a member of the research faculty at UCR’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology A C C E S S
Publication Year: 2009
Publication Date: 2009-10-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 4
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